According to Ontario County sheriff's deputies, 46-year-old Philip J. DeFranco of Farmington was hiking with friends at Grimes Glen in Naples at about 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 6, when he accidentally slipped and fell approximately 40 feet onto a stone ledge, landing on his head and chest. The victim fell into a pool of water about 3 feet deep at the base of the fourth waterfall, according to Naples Fire Chief Patrick Elwell.

Deputies said DeFranco then drifted downstream, where he was removed from the water by members of his hiking part. He was flown to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester by LifeNet medical helicopter, where he was listed in critical/guarded condition Wednesday night, deputies said.

Elwell said DeFranco was hiking with a woman and two teenagers, and was in the water for about 60 seconds before the three got him up onto shore, Elwell said.

Ontario County’s Rope Rescue Team gathered at a property near 8179 Gulick Road. From there, the team descended about 300 yards into a clearing where they could stage the rescue and reach DeFranco, who was about another 300 feet down into the gorge.

The man did not appear to have broken bones, said Elwell.

Elwell said the county Rope Rescue Team typically responds to six or seven calls a year for hikers in trouble in one of the area's several gorges. This was the first call this season for Grimes Glen and the most serious injury the team has responded to, Elwell said.

The woman and two teenagers returned on foot to their vehicle, parked at the entrance to Grimes Glen on Vine Street in Naples, to then go on to Strong, said Elwell.

Elwell said LifeNet responded from a base in Hornell, Steuben County, because it could respond more quickly than Mercy Flight could Wednesday afternoon.